Explosion power-hammer.



Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

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EXPLOSION POWER HAMMER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

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R S UBERLY EXPLOSION POWER HAMMER. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 21. 1908. y 929,696, Patented Allg. 3, 1909, 4 sums-snm a. W' z Q2 v R. S. OBERLY.

EXPLOSION POWER HAMMER.

PPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 21, 190s.

929,696. Patented Aug. 3,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

uUNITED STATES PA TEN T OFFICE.

ROBERT SL OBERLY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

EXPLOSION POWER-HAMMER.

To all whom fit may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. OBERLY, a citizen of the United States, residing' at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Explosion Power-Hammers, of which the following is a specification, reference being' had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in power-'operated hammers and particularly to in'lprovements in explosion power hammers. I

Tn the particularl embodiment herein shown and described,Y l have explained my invention as applied to a pile-driver.

' An object of my invention is to provide a hammer o f the type referred to hereinbei fore which will be simple in construction, comparatively cheap in manufacture and most efficient in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a hammer which will be compact and in which a large amount of energy may be trai'isformed in a small space.

The force of the explosion acts directly vupon the top of thepile and also acts to force upwardly a ram which afterward falls and delivers a blow. By an additional feature of my new construction the ram may be forced downwardly by an explosion above it and may thereby be used after the manner of a projectile or as a vehicle of energy which acts by impact.

In power-operated hammers heretofore known to me, a piston or like member has been accelerated by the working` fluid and, acting as a projectile, hits thepile or other object a blow In this case the working fluid does not act directly upon the pile but acts through a projectile in which the energy of the working fiuid is stored to be afterward transformed by impact into work done by n'ioving the pile. In my new hammer the ram is similarly used as a projectile; but in addition thereto the working fluid acts directly upon the pile to move it downwardly.

One feature of my invention resides in the novel means provided for entrapping and exploding the charge between the pile .itself and the projectile (or ram) which afterward in its descent drivesthe pile down still farther by an additional blow.

Another feature of my invention lies in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 21, 1908.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

Serial No. 449,670.

the novel means provided for igniting the charge after the ram has struck the pile.

A third feature of my invention is the arrangement of parts whereby the length of the travel and thereby the force of the blow struck by the ram may be varied.

A further feature of my invention consists in the provision of means for gripping the leads to prevent the casing from rising ofi' the pile and in the arrangement of parts whereby such means are given an initial pressure against or grip upon the leads. ByA suitable mechanism this initial pressure is added to until the leads are gripped with such force as to prevent the casing from rising ofl3 the pile.

A fifth feature of my invention resides in the arrangement of parts whereby either one or two explosion cylinders may be used, depending upon the nature of the soil in which the pile is being driven.

A sixth feature of my invention consists in the provision of breakable and easily replaceable bolts or like retaining means for holding the the casing.

Still further features of my invention are the provision of novel heads for the ram and the hammer-block upon which the latter delivers its blow and in the arrangement of parts for maintaining the slidable nature of the fit of the hammer-block.

Other features of my invention will be pointed out in the description and claims which follow hereinafter.

In the d 'awings illustrating the principle of my invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Figure 1 is an elevation of my new piledriver, Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section looking in the direction of the arrow X in Fig. l; Fig. is a sect-ion on the line A-A of Fig. l; Fig. lis a sectional detail on the line BMP of Fig. Sl and shows the arrangement of the tierods at the upper end of the pile-driver; Fig. is a fragmentary elevation of the intermediate or chaii'g` ing cylinder; Fig. f3 is an elevation looking in the direction of the arrow Y in l? 5; Fig. 7 is a section on the line O O of 'Fig'. 2; Fig. 8 is a section on the line l)-*l) of Fig. 2; Fig. S) is a section on line E-E of Fig. l; Fig. 10 .is a central vertical section of the lower end of my new pile driver; Fig. 11 is an end view looking in the direction pile cap to the lower end of venting an excessive rise in temperature during the operation of the pile-driver; that is, the cylinders a and c are water-jackete'd.

Slidably fitted in the maincasing is the ram from each end of the body-portion of which extends a plunger-head g, L. Thelfower plunger head It is provided with a hammer-head or ram-head e which actually delivers the blowupon the hammer-block z'.

Between the latter and the top of the pile y' is placed a pile-block 7c of'liber or like material which fits in the central hole m of the cap n. The latter is fastened to the lower end of the lower cylinder c by the bo ts 0 which aref readily replaced if broken. Mountedvwith a snug fit upon the shank of the hammer-block is a bushing y) providedV with packing rings Q which fit closely the wall of the cylinder' e at its lower end. rl`he blows of `the ram-head e fall directly upon the head z" of the hammer-block z' and are transmitted directly through the shank of the latter to the pile-block IC. The head z" of the hammer-block shields the bushing p and in case the head z" becomes burred or. otherwise deformed by the force of the heavy blows upon it, the slidable nature of the fit of the hammer-block as a whole will nevertheless not be disturbed.

The shell or casing Z) of the intermediate cylinder is thin, and is bolted at both its ends over the reduced ends of the explosion cylinder a, c, concentrically therewith. The reduced ends of the `explosion cylinders over which the shell is bolted form ledges or shoulders s, s within the shell. The opposed ends of the shell Z1 are formed with flanges t, t to which are bolted the ends of tie-rods u which are adapted and designed to hold in assembled relation the parts of the casing.

The leads or guide-standards o are shown only in part; but it will be understood by all skilled in this art that the leads form a part of the usual. derrich in a way too well known to require either illustration or further description herein.

Cast integral with the upper end of the upper explosion cylinder a and projecting outwardly and upwardly therefrom are two pairs of shaft-supports fw in each pair of which is mounted a bar or stationary shaft fr.

There is rotatably mounted a pair of togglelinks y on each shaft m and to each of the toggle-links g/ is pivotally 'fastened a shoe or presser-block e'. These shoes or presserblocks e lie in pairs on opposite sides of the leads o and as theshafts m are carried up wardly the shoes or presser-blocks .e are forced with great pressure against the leads 'o on opposite sides thereof. The shoes or presser-blocks are held with an initial presjsure against the sides of the leads by the presser-blocks 'e' is pivotally fastened one end of a pull-rod 2 the other end of which is f headed and is connected through the mediumof a coil-springr 3 with the headed upper end of a pull-rod t.. To the lower end of each of one pair of these pull-rods d is fastened one end of a curved lever or rockerarm 5 fulcrumed at 6 upon a bar 7. The lower ends of the other pair of pull-rods 1 are fastened pivotally each to an end of one of a pair of curved levers 9 which are shorter than the levers 5 and which are ulerumed one on each of the bars 7.

tie-rods u are bolted the clamp-plates 8y each yof which carries an end of one ofthe bars 7. /The latter are further supported by the lugs 10 which project from the shell Y) of the intermediate cylinder. Y The coil-springs 3 are placed under initial tension so that the shoes or presser-blocks e are held with an initial pressure against the leads o. In the shell b of the intermediate cylinder are formed a pair of longitudinal slots 11 through each of which. projects the outer carried by the body of the ram. Under the free end of each of the longer curved levers 5 lies one of these posts 12; and as the body f rises, the posts 12 rock upwardly the free ends of the levers or rocker-arms 5 upon the cross-bars or rocleshafts 7, whereby the outer ends of the rocker-arms 5 are depressed these outer ends, stretch the coil-springs 3 and force the shoes or presser-blocks .e with still greater pressure against the lea ds o. The steps 13 formed integral with the casing levers 5, 9 up against the initial tension of the coil-springs 3.

To hold the shafts .fr in place against the force tending to separate them, a pair of tension-rods consists of two parts held together by two taper `or wedge-shaped keys 15, 16 which through slots in the two parts. One of these parts is a block 17 of metal formed with a recess 18 and mounted rotatably upon one of the shafts a1 while the other or coperating part is a bar 19 of metal formed with ahead 2O at one end and at its other end mounted free to rotate upon the opposite shaft The head 20 fits in the re- Upon each of the .L

end of a post 12the inner end of which is' and, through the pull-rods 4 attached to EL tension-rods 14 is provided. Each of these following devices: To each of the shoes or serve to hold the free ends of the curved .Y V

contact-finger 12.

cess 18 in the block 17 and isformed with a channel or slot which registers with the slots22 formed in the walls of the recess 18. When the slots are in line with each other, the keys 15, 1G aredriven in. The bar 19 is then expanded by heating it and the keys 15, 16 are again driven in to till up the openings due to the expansion of the metal bar 19. This operation places the tension-rods 14. under an initialtension.

The upper end` of the charging cylinder Z) is connected with the lower explosion cylinder c by a pipe 2G the lower end of which communicates with the lower explosion cylinder c through the inlet port 27. In the pipe 26 is mounted a generator-valve, which is shown conventionally at 25 and which serves to impregnato with the, fuelthe air iowing through the pipe 2G toward the lower explo sion cylinder c. A branch pipe 28 leads olf from the pipe 26 and communicates with the explosion cylinder c through the inlet port 29 which lies above the inlet port 27. In each of the pipes 2G, 28, there is mounted a valve 80; and by properly manipulating the valves 30, the flow of the explosive mixture may be directed through either of the inlet ports, as may be desired. Thelower end of the charging cylinder is connected with the upper explosion cylinder a by the pipe 31 in which are mounted a second generator valve 24. and a three-way valve 82. The latter allows the lower end of the charging cylinder I) to be'brought into communication with the atmosphere at will.

In the explosion cylinder c are formed two exhaust ports 33, i311 both ot' which lead into the exhaust pipe 35. The exhaust port 83 extends slightly below the inlet port 27 and the exhaust port 311 is similarly placed with respect to the inlet port 29. Hence, the exhaust port 83 will open slightly in advance of the inlet port 27 and the same is true ot the exhaust port with respect to the inlet port 2S). This insures that the pressure in the lower explosion cylinder will be reduced to atmospheric pressure at the time the inlet ports open. `The upper explosion cylinder c is formed with an inlet port 3G and an exhaust port 37 and the latter opens into the Aupper exhaust pipe 38.`

The ignition apparatus for the lower explosion cylinder may be described as tollows: Upon the shell L ot the intermediate cylinder is mounted a bracket or frame 89 having a central slet or channel ll() in which is slidably fitted a block 111 which carries a` By means of the screw 43 'he position ot' the block and its contactlinger may be varied at will. The latter is electrically connected with one pole of the battery 44 the other pole of which is electrically connected with a serrated contact-plate L15 mounted upon but insulated trom the in.- ertia block Ll-( mounted tree to slide upon the rod 47 but held thereon by a coil-spring 23 one end of which is fastened to the block t6 and the other end of which and the rod Z17 are fastened to the collar 48 mounted upon the outer end of one of the posts 12. Vil hen the body f ot' the ram reaches the end of its downward travel or stroke, the inertia block l-G continues its downward travel against the tension of the coil-spring 23 and carries the toothed contact-plate t5 against the contact-finger 112, whereby the circuit from the battery lll is momentarily made or completed. A current is induced in the secondary t9 et the induction coil 50; and when the current is interrupted, a spark is generated at the spark-plug 51 in the explosion cylinder c.

The ram-head c and the head c" ot the humilier-block z' are each formed with a recess and with grooves 53 leading radially from the recess 52. When the ram-head and the head ot the hammer-block are in contact, the recesses 52 combine to form a chamber in which is held under compression the explosive charge. rllie latter is fired through the medium oit the ignition apparatus ust described and the pile is driven downwardly and the ramis forced upwardly.

1n the upper explosion cylinder a the plunger-head g is formed at its upper end with a detlector 54 by which the intlowing gaseous mixture is vdeflected and drives before it the exploded charge out through the exhaust port. In this cylinder the explosion may be caused by the heat oil' compression o'l' the gases or by any other suitable means. In the lower explosion cylinder the annular leveled part 55 of the end of the ram-head c acts as a detlector.

Upon the posts 12 are mounted the collars 48, 5G, which are connected by pull-rods 57 with the crossbeam 58. By raising and lowiring the latter, the body f ci the ram may be moved up and down in the casing at starting or at any other time desired.

rthe leads o are formed with guideways 59 and the casing with guide-blocks 6() which travel in the guideways 59. i

The opera-tion ot my new explosion powder hammer may be described as follows: Assuming the ram to be in the position shown in Fig. 2, the ram has been toi-ced upwardly by the previousl explosion and the body j has forced from the lower end of the charging cylinder a charge ot air, which in passing through the gelrelator-valve 2l becomes impregnated with the fuel, whereby there is termed an explosive mixture. rllhe latter has been delivered into the upper end of the upper explosion cylinder ft through the inlet port 86 and past the deliector 54 and Vhas been compressed b v the upward movement of the plunger-head y. The same upward movement of the rain drives air from the upper end oi the charging cylinder b through the pipe 26' and the generator valve-25 therein to the lower explosion cylinder c. The explosive mixture flowing in through one of the inlet ports 27 lor 29 (depending onwhich valve 30 is closed) strikes the reflector-surface 55 on the ram-head e and drives the burned gases out into the exhaust pipe 35 through one of the exhaust ftension of the coil-springs 3 by stretching the same. The downward pull on the rods 2 tends to press the shoes or presser-blocks e against the leads o and to increase the frictional resistance between these members.- Thus, an additional resistance is oii'ered tof the movement of the casing relatively to the 1 leadS. 5 creased by the arrangement of parts shown in Fig. 4, in the event of the casing moving Y upwardly relatively to the leads o. In this case the shaft supports w rise with the casmg i thereby the outer ends of the toggle-links. y It will be obvious from an inspection of Fig.

ports ao or 34; The upward movement of the plunger-head g generates heat in compressing the explosivecharge and this heat is relied upon to fire the charge; but any suitable means may be used to ignite the mixture, as will be readily understood by those skilled in this art. An explosion in the upper cylinder a results and the ram is driven downwardly. As the ram-head e meets the hammer-block head f-, the explosive mixture yis entrapped in the chamber formed by the recesses 52 and in the slight space between the wall of the lower cylinder c and the heads e and i. Vhen the ram is brought to rest by its impact with the pile j, the inertia block i6 continues its downward travel against the tension of the coil-spring Q3. In its continued downward travel the inertia block 46 brings the serrated Contact plate 45 into electrical connection with the contact-finger l2 and thereby completes the battery circuit, which is almost immediately broken by the upward pull of the coil-spring 2?), whereby a spark is generated at the spark-plug 5l and the explosive charge in the lower cylinder between the heads c and 7'. is tired. The ram is .now driven upwardly and the cycle of operations is repeated. The casing follows the pile j in the latters descent so that the cap n always rests upon the top of the pile.

In oase it is not desired to use the upper explosion cylinder a, the generator-valve 24 is closed and the three-way valve 32 is opened to the atmosphere. The other parts then operate as before, the blow of the ram upon the pile being that due to only the weight of the ram instead of that due to the same weight plus the energy of the explosion in the upper cylinder. i

In case the ram is to have only a short travel or flight, the valve 30 in thebranch pipe 28 is closed and the explosive mixture flows through the pipe 26 and the inlet port 27 into the lower cylinder c. However,.when the soil is hard to penetrate andthe energy of the working fluid transformed into work done in throwing' upwardly the ram is relatively great as compared with the work done in forcing the pile downwardly, the valve 30 in the lower end of the pipe 26 is closed and the explosive mixture flows through the branch pipe 28 and enters the lower explosion cylinder c through the inlet port 29; Thus, provision is made for a variation of the throw or travel of the ram.

As the body f of the ram travels upwardly, Y

' it Vcarriers with it the posts 12 which move in the slots 11 in the shell b of the intermediate cylinder. Two of the posts 12 engage and force upwardlythe free inner ends of the levers or rocker-arms 5 and depress correspondingly the outer ends of the same rocker-amis', thereby exerting a. downward pull on the rods 2 and 4 and increasing the This resistance is still further inand carry upwardly the shaft and 4 that an upward movement of the outer ends of the toggle-links y will tend to force the pressure-blocks a against the leads with great pressure and the more the casing moves upwardly, the greater is this pressure increased, according to the well-known principles: governing the action of toggle-joint mechanisms.

' In starting the hammer, the crossbeam 58 Y is raised and allowed to fall, thereby giving to the ram a corresponding reciprocating motion. This raising and lowering of the crossbeam and ram is kept up, until an'explosion iof the mixture underv the ram-head c takes place and the operation of the hammer becomes automatic.

It will bel observed that the casing and all parts of my new hammer carried within and by the casing follows the pile in the descent of the latter.

It will be obvious to all skilled in this art that many variations may be made in the construction of my new hammer without departing from the principle of my invention; and I desire to be understood as claiming my invention in the broadest manner legally permissible. The upper explosion cylinder c may bej omitted altogether, together with the upper plunger-head g; and so may be the mechanism for gripping the leads. Other changes in the particular embodiment of my invention hereinbefore described will suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and may be made without y departing from the spirit. of my invention;

but I desire to be distinctly understood as 1. In an apparatus of: the character de scribed, the combination with the casing of an explosion chamber one, end of which casing is recessed to fit over and hold the end of a pile; oi" a closure for said end of saidcasing; a ram mounted in said chamber; and means for ,introducing an explosive charge into said chamber.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the con'ibination with the casing of an explosion chamber one end of which casing is recessed to fit over and hold the end oil a pile; oi' a closure for said end of said casing; a ram mounted in said chamber; means for introducing an explosive charge into said chamber; and means for iii-ing said charge.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the casing of an explosion chamber one end of which casing is recessed to lit over and hold the end of a pile; a gas-tight closure for said end ot' said casing; a rain mounted in said chamber; and means for introducing an explosive charge into said chamber.

4t. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the casing of an explosion chamber, said casing being pro vided with means for holding the end of a pile; of a closure -tor one end of said easing; a ram mounted in said chamber; and means for introducing an explosive charge into said chamber.

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the easing of an explosion chamber; of a ram mounted in said chamber; a hammer-block mounted in said chamber; and a. slidable bushing interposed betwecn said hammer-block and casing and having a gas-tight tit against the opposed Wall thereof. i

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the casing of an explosion chamber; of means for holding the end of a pile; and bolts for fastening said means to said casing, said bolts being readily replaceable in case of breakage.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with leads and a casing guided thereby, of shoes adapted to bear against said leads; and links one end of each of which is pivotally connected to one oi said shoes and the other end of each of which is pivotally connected with said casing; the last-named end of the link being normally lower than its end connected with the shoe.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with leads and a casing guided thereby, of shoes adapted to bear against said leads; links pivotally connected with said shoes and with said casing; and means for holding said shoes against upward movement along said leads.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a casing; of a ram mounted in said casing' supports in which said casing is mounted; gripping devices for connecting said casing and supports; and mechanism actuated by said ram for increasing the gripping action of said devices.

l0. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with leads and a casing guided thereby, of shoes adapted to bear against said leads; means carried by said casing for forcing said shoes against said leads, when said casing moves upwardly; and yielding devices under initial tension for holding said shoes against upward movement along` said leads.

ll. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with leads and a casing guided thereby, of shoes adapted to bear against said leads; means carried by said casing for forcing said shoes against said leads, when said casing moves `upwardly; a ram mounted in said casing; and means actuated by said ram for increasing thc gripping action of said shoes.

l2. In an apparatus oit the character described, the combination with a casing; of

4sulngorts in which said casing is mounted; a

ram mounted in said casing; and gripping devices actuated by said ram for holding said casing against movement in said supports.`

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of August, 1908, at said New York, in the presence ot' the two undersigned witnesses.

ROBERT S. OBERLY. Witnesses:

ROBERTA.. FLUM, Jol-IN L. Ommr. 

